Youba Cissokho, a master of the West African kora, will perform at Hansberry Garden & Nature Center’s Dr. Edward Chun Amphitheater on Thursday, June 26, as part of the garden’s 2025 Summer Concert Series. The address is 5150 Wayne Avenue, but please note that the entrance is on Hansberry Street. In case of rain, the location will be Attic Brewing Company.
About Youba Cisshokho
Youba Cisshoko was born into a Jali family — musical storytellers and oral historians, also known as griots — that has been practicing its arts for 72 generations. On the kora, a harp based on a large calabash gourd, he plays traditional Mandinka and Wolof music as well as newer compositions that are informed by jazz, reggae and Afrobeat styles.
Youba has performed solo all over Africa, Europe, and the United States in cities such as Paris, New York, and Dakar. He joined Artist-In-Residence and LINES Ballet dancer Adji Cissoko on Center Stage at the Vail Dance Festival and frequently accompanies Temple University ballet classes and orchestras. Youba has played at venues such as The Philadelphia Museum of Art and World Cafe Live as well as on the main stages at Harmonic Earth Festival, Senegal’s Cisko Centre, and Philadelphia’s Odunde Festival.
For a sample of his work, check out this YouTube video:
About the 2025 Summer Concert Series
Featuring a diverse group of performers, our concert series will happen on the final Thursday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. Admission is on a pay-what-you-wish basis. Tickets will be available here at www.hansberrygarden.org about a month before each show.
Summer Concert Performances:
- May 29: Queer Americana singer-songwriter Brittany Ann Tranbaugh
- June 26: Senegalese kora player Youba Cissokho
- July 31: Musician and playwright M’balia Singley
- August 28: Jazz-inflected folk duo Bethlehem and Sad Patrick
- September 25: Latin roots band Conjunto Philadelphia